Dearest
by Tsunderellah
Summary: You're my dearest treasure, and for you I'd take my heart and soul and I'd risk it all. PomPep
1. My Dearest

Hai~ This be something that just came up while working on Cendrillon. I got inspired by My Dearest, originally by Supercell and the opening theme for Guilty Crown (WHICH IS AN AMAZING ANIME *squeal*). Amanda Lee's version of the song is absolutely fantastic. I suggest listening to it while reading this piece.

Stay classy.

-Tsunderella & JSTBFRNDS

* * *

**_..._**

**_You're my dearest treasure  
And for you I'd take my heart and soul and I'd  
Risk it all_**

_-Amanda Lee_

**_..._**

* * *

_..._

_To my dearest Daniel,_

_I've always blamed your father for all the problems that have plagued my life: be it the accident that I thought ruined said life, or be it the fact that he had gotten married to the one woman that I truly cared about – I've always forced the blame on that jolly idiot. I've blamed him for my abnormalities, for my powers, my biggest burden. I've blamed Madeline- your beautiful mother- for falling for that oaf who was, in my head, not a very logical choice. I was the one with the super genius intellect. I was the one with the royalties, the bright future. I was the one that was destined to become something extraordinary. That's why it was such a blow that she didn't choose me. She chose her heart over her mind. She chose Jack over me. _

_I was treated like royalty during my college days, everyone always sparing time in their already hectic schedules to cater to me. I now know that it was merely because of the wealth of my parents that they did. But back then, it didn't matter. I had everyone wrapped around my little finger. Everyone bended to my will and I loved it. After the accident, I was shocked to find out that nobody cared enough to visit. I was shocked as to how alone I was. Madeline and Jack visited, but even those little moments of sunshine dwindled. They got married and forgot about me. Life moved on, and it left me behind in the dark, cold and shivering._

_Grasping for warmth, my body did what it had to to protect my heart from the hurt it has been through. Nursing the wounds, it curled in defensively and became hard, preventing anyone from ever hurting me again. I became cruel and my heart hidden to the point I appeared heartless. This was who I am. I was bitter for twenty years; having lost something so important to someone I considered so irrelevant- absolutely ironic how your father and I used to be the greatest of friends. I thought we were inseparable through anything, until I felt abandoned. Hatred began to expand in my heart. The notion for revenge began to form, chasing away any trace of whatever light I once held within me. I wanted bloody retribution. I wanted them to feel pain. I want them to suffer as much as I had over the years. _

_I became evil and for the longest time, I despised myself for hating them. I knew deep down that they did nothing but move on- not a sin, much less a crime punishable by death. _

_I now realize that this is exactly what Fate had planned for me. You've told me that some ghost somewhere know what will occur and what choices could be made to get into or avoid certain situations. I once cursed Clockwork for letting me get hurt and for not being the hero I so desperately needed. Now I'll have to thank that ghost for being able to see where I had been blind. I'm glad I kept my feet on this path, the path that had seemed so dark and so lonely for the longest time: because it's the path that brought me to where I am today. _

_I'm here with you. _

_At first I saw you as someone who could never truly understand me. I mean, how could you possibly even begin? In your eyes, I was sinful and corrupt- a blight upon your meek little city. I had wanted to destroy you as much as I thought you wanted to destroy me. Not only are you the manifestation of everything great that I never will be, you are also the son born from the happiness of those that betrayed and hurt me the most. I wanted you to pay for your parents' mistakes. I wanted revenge, and I wanted to take it out on you. But your witty sarcastic remarks and your boyish smirk began to grow on me. I began to look for you. I began to truly wreak havoc upon Amity Park, at that time convinced that I was merely doing so to annoy you. I was sure that I was destroying something important to your parents; I was destroying you. I let myself enjoy our little fights, assuring myself that this was all in the name of revenge. I didn't care how tired or how injured you were by the end. I hated you and what you are, which is why even though I fully understood the consequences of your actions, I let you pilot the battle suit that drained your father so much. This was, as far as I'm concerned, an indirect, mess-free way of killing you and inflicting emotional injury on Jack and Madeline. In no way will your death be traced back to me. It was the perfect murder._

_Only when I saw your eyes after the fight did I realize the mistake I made. Your eyes, which often reminded me of the finest chartreuse, were unfocused and lacklustre. They were losing the light in them, and fast. You looked at me with such hollow eyes, and I felt my heart clench tightly with profound regret. How could I have possibly done this to you? Had I been so overcome by the greens of envy that I risked a child's safety? _

_I berated myself for my foolishness. Hastily, I picked up your form, your eyes threatening to close, perhaps for eternity. You were so light. I kept talking to you, trying to keep you conscious. You kept your eyes open but I know that they can see nothing. I did the best thing I could. I flew back through your parents' portal and transformed the both of us. Quickly running up to Maddie, I handed you over and explained to her the fabricated lie I came up with, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. I left her and your father to revive you._

_I was left to myself for seven hours, plenty of time to meditate on what I had done. I had nearly killed a child for something that he himself could not have possibly prevented. I almost killed an innocent person, something that I did not care about before. But you, you made me care. You made me feel shame and regret. You made me feel._

_I don't think you realise how relieved I was when your parents came out, hand in hand, to tell me that you were going to be fine. I was glad that you were going to be alive, exhilarated that you'd be able to once again fill the world with that light of yours._

_I was, in every sense of the word, happy._

_I began to look forward to our meetings, the revenge taking to the darkest forgotten corner of my mind. I became the mayor of Amity Park not only to even our pranking score, but also to be closer to you. I made sure you would be alright. Though you claim it to be something 'only a fruitloop would do', I bugged your house. Every corner literally had a camera, all for the sake of seeing that you would be fine. I became obsessed with you. I had wanted to own you, wanted to take care of you, to nurse your wounds, to love you. I wanted to be your father. _

_Before long, these feelings began to morph. Our little meetings have never failed to set my emotions on a high, every departure- an all-time low. Every touch of your silken skin and every musical sigh that escapes your cherry lips cause such an intense reaction on my part. I want to adore your skin, to listen to the rest of your song and to taste the cherry on your lips. I want to visit the stars in your eyes, ever gazing at the never-too-distant sky. I want to kiss the night of your hair until it turns early morning grey. _

_I want you._

_I've tried to obtain you through any means necessary. I kidnapped you repeatedly and even tried to force myself on you. I was disgusted by myself and I was sure that you were too, but the potency of my desire was too great and my lust had poisoned me. I was intoxicated, drowning in you. I wanted to drink you up, my sweetest poison. _

_Only once I was satiated did I realize my actions. _

_Sobbing and broken, you looked at me with those crystalline eyes, liquid sadness falling upon your face. Your eyes spoke of boundless disappointment and sorrow and the worst part is that I had been the one to cause it to you. I felt so ashamed, so repulsed by myself. How could I even begin to explain? I fell in love with you and I had, for the longest time, thought that owning you and making you mine in every aspect possible was the only way I could prove it to you. Your tears and withdrawal told me otherwise._

_I felt filthy, filthier than I ever thought I could feel. It was like a layer of shame and sweat had forever embedded itself upon my skin, a scent I can never be rid of, no matter how hard I try to scrub it off. It was yet another low point of my life, comparatively worse than being abandoned. I became someone even__** I**__ hated. _

_Suicide appealed to me, much stronger than it ever had in my life. One of your parents' inventions would probably suffice. It was supposed to be a simple go-in-get-stuff-go-die procedure. I felt my fate sealed. I was going to kill myself, and I know myself to be too much of a coward to back out. I was ready to inject that plasma that your parents have been working on, the one that was supposed to burn a ghost from the inside out. I was ready to end my miserable existence, filled with lies, deceit and disappointment. You obviously had to be the hero that saved me. You hastily knock away the syringe form my fingers, fury written upon your pale face. I looked at you with curiosity. Your arch-enemy was going to commit suicide; the very man that had cause you so much harm, the one that had hurt your heart. I was supposed to die, but you saved me. To this day, I will never understand why you saved me. I was a loser, a miserable old man that fate always seemed to abandon. But you didn't say anything that night. You just held me as I let tears slip through my shattered defenses, sobbing out my frustrations, my broken dreams and the harshness of reality upon your small shoulder. You held me in the silence and I knew then that this is really how love should be._

_It's amazing how much you've changed me. You've managed to disentangle my heart from the tendrils of darkness that clutched it and brought it to light. Your light freed me. You've peeled back the folds that covered my worn heart and held the wounded beating organ with love, even though I've repeatedly hurt you in the process. For all you have done, I am eternally grateful. _

_Thank you for being my light. Thank you for chasing the darkness away. _

_I guess this is a declaration of absolute adoration. This is me revealing my feelings. Please do not push me away. I would not be true to myself if I didn't say I want you to accept me and love me like I do you, but if your love belongs to someone else, please let not this letter scare you from being a dear friend. I love you very dearly. So dearly that I'd rather you follow your heart to wherever it may lead you. Be that to me or away from me. _

_I'm yours._

_Vlad Masters._


	2. Please Be Careful With My Heart

**Thank you so much to _Dearest_'s reviewers. You really motivated me to work on the sequel. All thanks, praises and squeals of happiness therefore go out to my reviewers and my beloved beta and pseudo-muse, JSTBEFRNDS. I LOVE YOU, MAN.**

**By popular demand, here is _Dearest_'s sequel. Hope you like it.**

**-Tsunderella**

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**_..._**

_**Love has heard some lies softly spoken**_  
_**And I have had my heart badly broken**_  
_**I've been burned and I've been hurt before**_  
_**So I know just how you feel, trust my love is real for you.**_

_-Jose Mari Chan_

**_..._**

* * *

Vlad sat on one side of his plush sofa, the 72-inch television turned on to the news channel. Cobalt eyes were glazed over, the owner obviously hidden within the corners of his mind. Fingers gripping the arm of the sofa, he clenched his eyes shut as nervousness and tiredness overwhelmed his system. It had been a good four days since he had sent that letter. At first, a feeling of weightlessness and relief washed over him, like a nice warm shower on a frozen day; but the more he thought of the letter and its contents, the more anxious he became. What did Daniel think of the letter? Was he repulsed? Angered? Did he just throw the letter without opening it, upon seeing that his arch-enemy's name was etched upon the envelope?

Vlad had written the letter upon impulse, prompted by the words that a certain young halfa had mournfully whispered upon their last encounter:

"_I just wish you'd tell me how you felt. I am so confused. You act like you love me, but the next, you don't. Please, just tell me."_

The memory of the young boy's face brought a painful pang to his heart. That boy has no idea how much he could influence the powerful billionaire. The boy had a way with the older halfa's heart. He could have the world on a golden platter if that is what he wishes. All Vlad wants is love, and if he could have it in exchange for whatever the boy wanted, he would move mountains to give it to him.

The clocked chimed twice, telling any willing listeners that it was already two in the morning. Vlad sighed. Perhaps he should get some rest. Being one of the wealthiest men in the world does have its downside. Everyone seems to want a meeting, an interview, a merger deal.

Sighing once again, he fished for the TV remote, turning off the glowing technology. Putting on his slippers, Vlad trudged through his mansion's carpeted hallways to the direction of his room.

Clutching the frozen door knob, he turned it and entered the room. The moon casted an ethereal spell upon the room, transforming it from an ordinary room into a paradise of light and shadows. The moonlight filtered through the large windows, accompanied by a cool breeze, smelling of the sleeping earth. It was a beautiful sight, yet all Vlad could think about, in his jittery worry, was the letter. He failed to notice the shimmer of silver hair fluttering in the mild breeze, and the slight glow of sleepy green eyes as the owner gazed upon the night-time view upon the billionaire's balcony. What Vlad did notice was the small sigh that escaped from the figure, musical in register and absolutely incomparable. Quickly turning to the direction of the voice, the older half-ghost could only gape at the sight of Danny in his ghost form. The boy looked absolutely beautiful in the moonlight. He looked so breathtaking for someone who looked so tired. Feeling his heart skip a couple of beats, the billionaire slowly approached the figure, afraid that this would only be a dream- that he would wake up in a moment, heart grasping at the fleeting wish.

Noticing that the billionaire had finally entered his room, Danny offered him a small smile.

"You finally came. I was afraid that you didn't sleep. Cause, you know…you kinda look like a vampire in your ghost form." Danny joked, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere.

"What are you doing here, Daniel? Don't you have school tomorrow?" Vlad asked, trying hard to hide the happiness in his voice. He failed.

"Vlad, I'm here to talk to you about the letter…" Danny started, fidgeting with the sleeve of his jump suit.

"Ah, don't mind that letter. I really-"

"Vlad, please. How can I not mind that letter? You practically poured your heart and soul into it. I can't just ignore something so important."

Vlad's heart glowed with warmth. It had been an eternity and a half since anyone had sincerely told him that his heart was important.

"I'm just here to say I'm sorry that I took so long in replying to you. I'm actually here to give you my response to that letter." Danny said, eyes examining the marbling pattern on the balcony floor, trying hard to hide the growing blush that was spilling unto his pale face.

Vlad gingerly placed his hand on Danny's cheek. When he felt the boy make no movement to escape his touch, he lifted the young half-ghost's view from the floor and directed it towards the older man's smouldering eyes.

"Daniel, I need no words from you. I just want to hold you like this." The older man whispered as he relished the warmth radiating from the youth's cheek.

"But I need to tell you something…"

"Then let me just listen then. I will not interrupt. Please, just speak." Vlad muttered softly, admiring the blushing boy before him.

"Well, you know me Vlad, I'm not very good with words. My marks in English are proof of that. When I read your letter, at first I was speechless. You had such a difficult life and I really didn't make it much easier. And you were right, at first I saw you as the enemy, as a miserable man after my mother. But once I got to know you, I found you irresistible, like a moth to a flame. You were just so strong, so confident and so sure of yourself: everything I am not. You were the complete opposite of me and as the saying goes, opposites attract…" Danny looked into Vlad's eyes, seeing the man hang on to his every word. Encouraged by the man's undivided attention, the teen continued.

"After a while, I sort of realised that I've fallen in love with you. That's why I tried to avoid fighting you so often. I could never hurt you, and I felt that during our fights, as rare as they were already, you were holding back. There had been a couple of encounters with you where you didn't even hurt me and there have also been encounters where I couldn't hurt you. We were at a stand-still.

I was willing to continue that way. I couldn't tell you that I've fallen for you; you'd probably laugh at me. I was the hero. Heroes don't fall for their arch-enemies. That was just not how fairy tales work.

And then, you broke my heart. I mean, I wanted you, but… not like that…I didn't want it to be like that…" Danny squirmed at the memory of that night, filled with such pain and feelings of betrayal and confusion. Tears found its way upon the teen's eyes as the events of the night resurfaced. What had started as a typical kidnapping situation quickly turned into a night of unwanted love, given unwillingly and received greedily. Vlad closed his eyes and pulled the boy closer, whispering fervently into the boy's ears his most profound apologies, his voice laced with sincerity.

"I..I..I'm not very good with words…," Danny whispered, "…I tried to reply to your letter. Sam would throw a fit if she saw the amount of paper I trashed to write that reply…" The teenage boy withdrew a small square of folded paper from his pocket. Danny lightly smiled and pushed his letter into Vlad's hand. "If you love me like you tell me…well…"

Vlad tried to compose himself, trying to separate himself from the giddy feeling in the bottom of his stomach. Slowly unfolding the letter, Vlad's eyes widened. The letter was short, but very much to the point, sparing no details, no flowery words. The letter held nothing and everything at the same time. It definitely did not have the length or the eloquence that the older man's letter did but it communicated exactly what Danny had wanted it to. To Vlad, it was the most perfect piece of paper he had ever laid eyes on.

Looking to the blushing author of the letter in his hand, he quickly embraced the youth, murmuring thanks to whatever deity up there for being so good to him. The boy smiled and hugged the man he loved back, feeling his warm heart beat joyfully. Danny's eyes trailed back to the letter lying on the floor, abandoned for now, but will never be forgotten. He thanked the paper for doing its job properly and the paper seemed to respond by falling in such a way that Danny could read the words he had hastily scrawled in the paper with his scratchy, shaky handwriting:

"_Please be careful with my heart."_

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Loved it? Hated it? Tell me how I can improve~ Review please. :D Feed the review monster so that it may create more pompep for your reading pleasure. 3

Requests are currently open, as I am currently on a gap year and still have some free time. Just PM me and I'll try and work some magic.

-Tsunderella


	3. Eat Me

_OKAY. BY POPULAR DEMAND. AN UPDATE. THANK ExtremelyAsian for her beta-ing skills._

_Thank Palutena that I love you guys. _

_-Tsunderellah_

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_I'm fated to be your baby, then next time just maybe_

_I'll let you be the one that's tasting me, forever in this dream_

_-Cir_

* * *

Vlad practically crawled out of his limousine, the weight of a day's work pressing down upon him. Though he makes it look easy to the public, managing world companies is not a piece of cake. There were annoying businessmen to deal with, frivolous problems to solve and a crapload of paper to sign. Seriously, the mayoral desk at his office in Amity Park probably holds a miniature forest-in paper form. His butler opened the door for him, taking the blazer from his shoulders. He was about to trudge off to his room, to rest his tired bones in his comfortable, beckoning bed when suddenly he heard a crinkling noise coming from beneath his feet.

A white envelope, crumpled from the force of his step, was set against his black marble stone floor, staring back at him from underneath his leather shoes. Curiously, he looked at his butler, who avoided his eyes. Usually, his butler handed him his mail- occasionally upon a silver serving tray, never on the floor. Curious, he picked up the letter and immediately, his nose was caressed by the scent of citrus.

Not wanting to destroy the uncorrupted pristine of the envelope, the billionaire motioned for a letter opener. The butler hurriedly left his master to fetch the desired object. While waiting for the device, Vlad walked into his living room; the siren call of his down pillows ignored. Plopping down the velvet seats of his sofa, he inspected the envelope further. There was no return address, no name to call the sender- only his name was signed unto the white blankness, an undeniable elegance in the script. Perhaps a maiden looking to worm her way into his heart- and his last will and testament?

Vlad groaned. His relationship status has changed from 'single' to 'it's complicated' about nine months ago, on that lovely mid-summer night's dream. The billionaire smiled at the thought of his Daniel, who should be asleep now in his little dorm in seaside Illinois (but more likely than not- isn't). His little love had pulled through his studies at Casper High. With help from Vlad- with ghost fighting and some of the best tutoring money can buy- Daniel had graduated from Casper High with high honours. Declared to be the educational miracle of the century (as neither Danny's parents nor teachers were aware of the help he's been receiving from his paramour), going from dropout boy to valedictorian in less than two years. With his final marks, the boy had been able to land a spot at the prestigious Northwestern University, studying a field that Danny had loved ever since he could crawl- astronomy. The first year had been tough, filled with difficulty in regards to the subject load and the worry how his hometown was faring without his super-heroing. Vlad assured him that his town is fine (as his authority not only extends within the confines of the Earth, it is known how powerful his ghost-half Plasmius is in the Ghost Zone as well.) The second year was better, as the momentum he had been building in the first year propelled him through the second, flying through the year in comfortable grace. Now in his third year, Daniel was more than busy. With internship companies practically breaking down his door, the boy was very much in demand. Vlad took secret pleasure that Daniel still manages to spend his weekends with the billionaire- no matter how busy he was- throughout the three years.

His little daydream was interrupted when his butler came back, holding a silver letter opener. In a curious, almost excited tremble, Vlad opened the letter.

"_In your heart you only see, scenes from a fairy tale story._

_Rip a page in rage and hope for the best on this bright day and age._

_Like a memory in my past, I want to make it last,_

_but I don't want to end up hurt just like Cinderella"_

A verse from a popular song was written upon the white cleanliness of the page, his theory on the crazed maiden after his wallet becoming stronger in his mind. The script was as elegant and crisp as his name was on the outside. The scent of lemon was stronger, assaulting his senses with its sharp, tangy perfume.

"This came in the mail today, sire." His butler said, handing Vlad yet another envelope. This envelope was blood red and accompanied a black box. Opting to open the envelope first before the package, he brandished the letter opener. Tearing a neat cut into the top of the envelope, the billionaire pulled out a scarlet sheet. This envelope, he noticed, smelled more of rustic roses. The hint of lemon was still there, but the rose smell was overpowering it. Deducing that the letter was from the same person, Vlad opened his second letter:

"_Go ahead and close your eyes-_

_You'll be in for a big surprise_

_All the mysteries in the box-_

_They'll all eventually unlock."_

The letter urged, no- tempted him to open the little box. The box, smooth and fitting perfectly upon the busineman's lap, beckoned him to rip it apart. What secrets lay within this box? And what mysteries was the letter referring to? Patience not being his strongest suit, he tore the lid off of the wooden package. The content of the box was another envelope and a key- similar to the keys his butler keeps of the house- set upon a sea of chocolate-covered cookies, alluring the receiver with the iced words "Eat Me" written upon the face of the confections.

Eying the pastries warily, Vlad opened the letter from within the box. His eyes widening in shock. Feeling the rush of blood upon his cheeks, and upon a part of him that is really, really, really happy about the contents of the letter, Vlad tore off from the sofa, grabbing the key from the box; accidentally scattering the pastries. He paid it no heed. The maids will clean it up, or Maddie the cat will. But right now, he has to find Daniel. If his suspicions and instincts were correct, the boy was somewhere in the castle, waiting for him in the same Alice in Wonderland costume as the picture of him he had found from the letter. The key was to open the door to Wonderland with his very own Alice waiting for him.

Glancing at the key, Vlad took note of the number. 143. If memory served him correct, that was his room. His room? When did-

Reaching the room as fast as his human half could carry him, he almost broke down the door to his suite. Remembering the key, he pushed the carved metal into the key slot and it was then that Vlad opened the door to a paradise of roses. Roses were on every shelf, table- any surface really. On his bed was his sprawled out lover, covered in frills, lace and bows- posing in a really promiscuous and sexy manner.

The billionaire's jaw dropped.

"D-D-Daniel..! W-what a surprise..! What are you…doing here! Shouldn't you be asleep?" The older halfa managed to stutter out words barely forming from his short-circuiting, overheating brain.

"Well, I saw a new flavour and I though…why not?" The boy smirked as he waved a small package in front of his lover's face, delighted at the shock on the older man's face.

"D-Daniel…"

"What, didn't you read the last letter? So why don't you go ahead and touch me, hold me, kiss me…" The boy seductively shuffled closer, stepping out from the bed and languidly making his way towards the stunned businessman.

"Come on and eat me." Daniel whispered, licking the shell of his lover's ear.

Being able to resist no longer, Vlad pushed the boy to the bed, and the rest of the night was spent in blissful indulgence.

* * *

As I've told ExtremelyAsian, I don't write lemons. Haha. Get it. Ugh.

Inspired by my local supermarket for their ad in the newspaper for lemon-flavored condoms. :I


	4. The Only Exception

Well gaiz. I think I found_ Dearest_'s plotline. Yay! So, moving this from the random drabbles bin, this will turn into a full blown story, complete with betreyals, deaths and mobs with pitchforks! So please bear with me as I undertake this project as I'm kinda doing adulty-responsibility stuff now. Ugh. No me like.

Oh, and uhm. _Dearest_ needs a new title. Any suggestions?

Please enjoy, and don't forget to read and review.

Lots of love,

-Tsundere

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x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x

"_**Nature provides an exception to every rule."**_

_**-Margaret Fuller**_

_**...**_

-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x

Ten-year old Vlad swore that he just saw his father cry.

His father, a man of severe integrity and strength; the man that taught him how to ride a bicycle twice his size; the man that taught him how to fight bullies with such brute force they went home crying to their parents, who obviously promptly gotten a hold of the principal; the man that taught him how to build model rockets with soda cans; the man that taught him never to let himself be vulnerable, the man that taught him never to cry- that man, have twin streams of brine streaming through his aged face. His father grasped at the windowpane, his fist clenched as it slid down, like the raindrops mottling the other side of the glass. His blue eyes were down-cast, trained on the woman on the street below their two-floored home. The woman, blurred by the rain, stood by a grey taxi cab, the driver loading her luggage into the trunk. The woman, aware of his father's looking, paid them no heed as the driver finished and she disappeared into the vehicle, sparing the man from behind the window nothing more than a passing glance. She never looked back.

That was the man's wife, and -lamentably- Vlad's mother.

Living in a small town, everyone quickly knew of the Masters couple's separation. It passed from mouth to mouth, wife to wife, man to man, child to child. Gossips flew around the remaining two Masters, consuming the remains of their lives like a raging bush fire- leaving nothing but bitter ashes, tears and the shattered remains of a once happy family.

His father tried to be strong for his son. He tried to be there for his only son. He tried to smile for him. He tried, he really, really did, but there is only so much one can do to reassemble the broken pieces of a heart. One morning, before fifteen-year old Vladimir Amadeus Masters went to school, he check-up on his father. Ever since the departure of his mother, the woman's name bringing such distaste upon the young man's lips; Vlad's father has made a habit of rising with the sun- first at the premise of seeing his son off to school; now only to stare at the rising golden orb upon a small marble bench in the ruins of his Wisconsin estate. Every morning, thinking that his beloved child had left for academia, the poor man would often boil water- only to forget about it later on- and would sit on a bench facing the hot sun with ivies trailing their green foliage around his ankles; the jasmine perfume, so similar to his past wife's cologne, wafting into his nose upon the morning dew, mocking and mournfully sweet; the gravel crunching softly underneath his worn-out boots. Every day, for five years, he had done this before going about his day. No one knew what he was thinking, what thoughts ravaged his poor mind during so early in the morning but it was apparent to any one that can see that these thoughts had a dismal effect on his persona. He would sometimes weep silently, oblivious to his son as his watched him from above on his balcony; a sight that is so very familiar to Vlad, but nevertheless made his blood boil in blinding rage at the slightest hint of. Vlad hated his mother- hated her for leaving, hated her for abandoning him, her only son for some petty bachelor; hated her for never looking back, never calling or keeping in touch; most especially, hated her for leaving his father so broken.

It was one morning when Vlad found his father dead, among the flowering climbing ivies and the melancholy song of the birds. At first he thought that he was merely staring at the sun as he had past rises, but when he came back home seven hours later, his father was still sitting slumped in the same spot. Confused, he went to go call his father for dinner, half-hoping to see a shadow of a smile upon his father's worn out face. The man did not reply. When Vlad went to gently push him, as if to shake him out of his reverie, his father fell onto the gravel; body lifeless, face streaked with dried tears.

Under the order of their family doctor, he was examined for the cause of death. They found none.

Vlad laughed during the funeral at the irony of it all. He grimaced at the black coffin as it was lowered to the ground, dirt being shovelled upon one of the wealthiest man in Wisconsin. The man his mo- that woman left because of his unfeeling, cold nature, died at the age of 54 of, in the teenager's opinion, heartbreak.

He couldn't shed tears. His heart was too hard at this point.

Years passed by quickly. He finished his post-secondary schooling at the top of the class, the success bittersweet. He applied to go to a university close by, knowing full well that through the power of the Masters' name and his grades, he'd be able to get in. He planned on studying international relations, continuing on with a political sciences master; hoping to be sufficient enough to fill his father's large boots. Sometimes, he managed to smile, the little boy that had the perfect childhood, resurfaces. Often times, not. He cursed life, for what it dealt him, but life, it seems, doesn't care. Life continued on. Uninterrupted, unchanged.

Then, as fate would have it, he met a seraph named Madeline.

He met her on a cool autumn day, wearing a blue knitted sweater- all buttoned up except for the top button along with a blazer two sizes too big for her; a turquoise skirt with three flounces, billowing behind her like the curtains in his ancestral home; and a pair of white heeled boots. She was carrying a particularly big Biology textbook in her arms and a backpack on her back, bulging as she walked slowly into campus.

She was outgoing enough to say hello to Vlad when she discovered him sitting alone in the campus and admittedly, the teenager-turned-adult's heart melted somewhat at her cheery sunshine-y smile. She was the first friend he made in a long time, his only companion over the years being his best friend from year two, Jack Fenton. The two men stuck together like twins. They did everything, from awry science projects, to dreaded calculus revision. Jack even worked his fudge-loving butt off to get into the same university as his best friend (a gesture that Vlad now hates to acknowledge that he appreciated).

When Maddie, as Jack calls her, came into the picture, a certain light came back into Vlad's eyes. There was a certain spring to his step now, the rare smile gracing his face more and more. She made him happy with her gentle charm, her rapier wit and her appreciation for the paranormal sciences. He held certain warmth in his heart for the woman, which –for the longest time- he thought to be love.

Then, he was betrayed again. Even worse, by his two best friends. Oh, he should have never opened his heart to them. He should have remained distant- for distance lessens the pain. Loneliness was a more attractive option than the pain that he is feeling now. Goofy, stupid, unhygienic, fat Jack ended up marrying his angel, his Madeline.

Oh, the agony.

It was then he swore at the winds. Picking up his broken heart from the shattered ruins of a love, he promised he would never sing of love; that it doesn't exist.

For the longest time, he stayed true to that promise.

...

Hasn't he?

-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-

...

In a room inside a mansion, where sleep still hung heavily in the air, and the silence absolutely numbing, the strong sunlight started to creep in from behind the heavy, blue curtains. A single concentrated beam found its way through a small gap between the two separate sheets of silk blocking the majestic sun. Lighting a straight line from the window to the nearby wall, the sunlight gaily introduced itself into the room, the welcoming committee a discarded chip wrapper and two cans of pop strewn messily on one of the side tables. The television, which was left on during the night, flickered noiselessly.

Vlad woke up to the feeling of something hard shoved into his left cheek and something soft, warm and smooth draping over his left leg. Eyes still closed, he felt his other senses beginning to wake up as well. His nose picked up the scent of ripe strawberries and cantaloupes, along with more subtle hints of orange and…pancakes?

The man opened his sapphire eyes, blinking and rubbing off the sleep that blurred them. Slowly, his vision focused, and the black satin in front of him became sharper and was actually, hair- an entire head full of it. The tan blob from earlier was actually an arm, more specifically an elbow that had been shoved unto his cheek.

Scanning his environment with curiousity and amusement, he realised that Daniel-ghost boy hero by day, lover by night- had pinned him to the bed with his legs and arms, encircling him like the billionaire was one gigantic, fluffy teddy bear. It seems that throughout the course of the night, he turned into the small spoon. Not that he minded, he was usually the big spoon. It's nice to be the small spoon once in a while.

The older man snuggled deeper into his duvet, the warmth of the sunlight and of his lover's arms a welcome treat on a beautiful winter day. The boy's arms were so smooth, so pleasant. It filled him with so much happiness, this love. It was more than he could ever hope for. Love has far exceeded his expectations and had gone far beyond what he could ever possibly want. Daniel gave him more, giving him warmth, happiness- like a miniature sun. Vlad found it most ironic to find the fact that a few months ago; he could have sworn that he didn't believe in love.

Well, maybe not so ironic. He still didn't believe in love. He still find himself scowling at the the mentioning of the word.

But looking back at his Daniel- his world, his light- he was sure that what they have is love. It is what poets, musicians, artists, lovers everywhere try and portray and Vlad chuckled a little at his hypocrisy.

It's okay, cause his Daniel, he's the only exception.


End file.
